I have a samsung Bluray that's not very good. It loads many discs very slowly (Game of Thrones can take a minute), and some it can't even play (The Avengers, latest Spiderman...) . Also, there haven't been many firmware updates for it lately, and I've grown sick of the thing.

Is there a good Bluray player that doesn't need a lot of firmware upgrading? I hate hate hate that they make consumers go through this hassle, can't really call it progress!! Since I have no internet connection in that part of the house, I always have to mess around with usb sticks etc.

I have the option of getting a playstation 3 for free. Is that a good player? I wouldn't be using it for games, just movies.

If you want Blu-Ray, I don't think you're going to be able to get around the firmware updates. The format keeps being updated, and to play newer discs you might have to do so as well. The Playstation 3 certainly won't help in that regard.

Updates are the nature of the beast due to the constant changes in the discs themselves. There are certainly players that are faster when loading but good bluray players like that are generally more expensive so you have to weigh the inconvenience of the loading times vs the cost of the player. I myself have a Pioneer Elite bluray play. It was expensive but it is quick and it is also region free and runs pretty much any disc format available. Most people wouldnt use most of the formats available but I wanted a player that could handle high end audio formats that most standard bluray players cant decode.

Panasonic makes very well regarded, relatively inexpensive players. I've had one for almost two years, and while it was updated several times in the first year, new firmware is pretty rare now. I've never had trouble playing any disc, and the streaming features work well. The only real weakness is that their user interface isn't the best, but it does the job well enough.

I also have a panasonic, but I'm not super impressed with it. It does okay. It's really, really pokey when navigating menus for streaming content, either wired or wireless. I wish it would remember where were were in multiple discs. I suppose a nicer one would do more. Also of major annoyance is that it for some reason stopped supporting NHL Gamecenter Live this season, and I have no idea why, so I have to go through the 360 to stream that.

Also, if you don't have internet to your blu ray player, you are doing it wrong! So much streaming content to get... most of the new ones are wireless, so that should make things easier.

Thanks for the replies all. I must say I'm quite dismayed that everyone here says firmware updates are here to stay... I guess I could look for a wireless Blu-ray player, but still... With the risk of sounding like a simpleton, I can't say I'm impressed with this evolution, and would rather have a stable format (with some fewer options I guess) than a constantly upgrading one.

At least they could have all the firmware drivers on the Blu-ray disk itself. I know this isn't simple with 1000's of drivers, but I can't believe consumers have to do this. Anyways, thanks for the replies.

Thanks for the replies all. I must say I'm quite dismayed that everyone here says firmware updates are here to stay... I guess I could look for a wireless Blu-ray player, but still... With the risk of sounding like a simpleton, I can't say I'm impressed with this evolution, and would rather have a stable format (with some fewer options I guess) than a constantly upgrading one.

At least they could have all the firmware drivers on the Blu-ray disk itself. I know this isn't simple with 1000's of drivers, but I can't believe consumers have to do this. Anyways, thanks for the replies.

Thanks for the replies all. I must say I'm quite dismayed that everyone here says firmware updates are here to stay... I guess I could look for a wireless Blu-ray player, but still... With the risk of sounding like a simpleton, I can't say I'm impressed with this evolution, and would rather have a stable format (with some fewer options I guess) than a constantly upgrading one.

At least they could have all the firmware drivers on the Blu-ray disk itself. I know this isn't simple with 1000's of drivers, but I can't believe consumers have to do this. Anyways, thanks for the replies.

I thought the whole point of this was that you didn't have an internet connection in that part of the house! You mean, this whole time you've had WiFi?!

Sorry about the misinterpretation! I should have elaborated, I didn't know wireless Blu-ray players were that common. Also, I have a - some may call it dumb, I call it safe - tendency to shut down my wireless signal whenever I can. I don't want to go into a debate about the believers and non-believers of wireless signals and their effects on health, but suffice to say I rather play it safe, especially with small kids nearby.

I thought the whole point of this was that you didn't have an internet connection in that part of the house! You mean, this whole time you've had WiFi?!

Sorry about the misinterpretation! I should have elaborated, I didn't know wireless Blu-ray players were that common. Also, I have a - some may call it dumb, I call it safe - tendency to shut down my wireless signal whenever I can. I don't want to go into a debate about the believers and non-believers of wireless signals and their effects on health, but suffice to say I rather play it safe, especially with small kids nearby.

From everything I've read, any Blu-ray player will give you a great picture playing a Blu-ray Disc. The PS3 happens to be one of the best upscaling devices for playing DVDs, until you get into big bucks for something like an Oppo. The downsides to a PS3, depending on model, tend to be that it is big and noisy compared to many players.

In my area, Sony models are as cheap as any of the competition and based upon my experience with my model and feedback from friends the quality is as good or better. I borrowed a friends Samsung previously for a few months and I can't say I'd recommend them. Biggest critism for me was the upscaling of S-Def DVDs, which wasn't even as good as my 360. I'd say my Sony is as good as or better than my 360 in that department.